Method of drying shoes.



T. F. WHELAN.

Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH co.. WASHINGTON, D. C

TED daim@ PATENT filflifl.

'II-IOMAS F. WI-IELAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO SAVODAY RACK COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION 0F MISSOURI.

METHOD 0F DRYING SHOES.

Specification o1' Letters ?atent.

Parent-ea oet. is, isis.

Application filed December 1'?, 1909, Serial No. 533,533. Renewed March 9, 1915. Serial No. 13,218.

lfb al! cl2/wm 'it may concern.'

Be it known that li", THOMAS F. Ni-inLAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful impro-vement in Methods of Drying Shoes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

rlhis invention relates to improvements in methods of drying shoes.

In the manufacture of some classes of shoes, as, for example shoes having box toes, it is customary to use paste or gum between the lining and the upper of the shoe at the toe in forming the box and then to .put the shoe, while on the last, aside for a considerable length of time to permit the paste or gum to dry thoroughly. The procedure of drying the box toes of shoes as heretofore generally practised required considerable time, and especially in damp or cool weather, or on alternate damp and dry days, and during the period of drying the lasts in the shoes were not available for use with other shoes. e

It is the usual practice in the manufacture of shoes having box toes to last the shoes at the close of the day so that when the lasts with the shoes thereon are put aside to dry a part of the time necessary in the drying operation will be consumed when the shoe factory is not running. This over-night drying is unsatisfactory because the time to thoroughly dry the box toes is usually insufficient and especially if the weather conditions are unfavorable to the drying process,

and while the box toes remain damp it is not feasible to remove the lasts from the shoes'. For these reasons lasts used in the manufacture of shoes having box toes have had to remain in the shoes longer than lasts used in the manufacture of shoes of other types, and have therefore been a more expensive investment.

An object of the present invention is to facilitate the manufacture of shoes that require drying by providing an `improved method that results in very materially shortening the time that the shoes are re quired to remain on the lasts, and thus reduce the number of lasts which will be required for use with a given number of shoes.

When the toes to be dried were of patent leather a further difliculty has been found to arise under prior practices of drying shoes. Iif such shoes are dried in the open air the time required to complete the drying operation may extend over several days, if the atmospheric conditions are unfavorable, and during this period the variations in temperature, and in the amount of humidity pres ent, necessarily will cause irregular expansion and contraction in the toe tip. This results in checking` or cracking the enamel which is glazed on patent leather at a temperature of 200O to 30()o F.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a process of drying such toes rapidly, and at an even temperature, in order to avoid all danger of cracking or checking of the enamel from the causes herein enumerated.

Still another object of the invention is to apply heat to the toe of a shoe for the purpose of drying the paste, gum or other materials used in the manufacture of the box, and to exclude the heat from other portions of the shoe and thereby avoid injury to the upper by the heat used in the drying operation. TvVith the above, and other important ob- Jects in view, the inveition comprises, as an important feature, applying` to the toe portion only of a shoe, heated air of a temperature which is suflicient to effectually and rapidly remove the moisture therefrom, such temperature being maintained until the drying operation is completed.

Preferably, the heated air is in circulation while being applied tothe shoe toe, and said heated air is also by preference directed upon the top of the shoe toe about which it circulates in a current. When the method is applied for drying box toes the shoes will be stretched over the last which causes the pores in the leather to open and permits the heat to draw themoisture from the paste to the outside of the leather where it is rapidly evaporated.

The invention further consists in other novel and advantageous features which will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

In the drawings, in which I have shown one form of apparatus by which the method can be eiiiciently and economically practised: Figure l is an end elevation of a simple form of apparatus used in carrying out my improved method; Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l; and Fig. 4: is a vertical section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. l.

An elongated housing l is preferably constructed of sheet metal, and provided at its rear side with a. depending portion 2. rl`he housing has end walls 3 and, if desired, partitions 4t may be located at suitable points throughout the length of the housing.

The front wall 5 of the housing is preferably formed of a sheet of asbestos or simi lar material in which are formed openings 6, which conform in shape to the cross-sect-ional outline of the toe portion of a shoe. Ears 7 depend from the end portions of the housing, and carry set screws 8, which are adapted to bear against the ends of the shelves of an ordinary shoe rack. Thus the shoe racks now in general use in shoe factories may be equipped to practice my novel process.

The entire interior surface of the housing Vis preferably lined with asbestos 9, or other Anon-conductor of heat, in order to prevent Y wasteful radiation of heat from the housing.

I prefer to curve the rear portion of the top of the housing and the upper portion of the rear wall thereof in order to do away with dead ,air space, and such curvature of the rear portions of the housing also tends to reflect the heat generated by the heater located in the depending port-ion 2 directly against the toes of the shoes in the openings 6. The heating means employed is preferably an electric heating coil l0 located in the depending portion 2 of the housing. The generation of the heat is regulated by a suitable rheostat 10.

In order to provide circulation of air jthrou gh the housing, openings 1l are formed by nipples 12L on end walls 3 adjacent the ends or the heating coil. Caps 12b are screwed on the nipples 12a, and dampers l2 are rotatably mounted on the caps 12b to control the openings 11. to be dried by my novel process, the housings are clamped on the shelves of the shoe racks, and the heating coil is energized and regulated by the rheostat so that the proper temperature may be obtained in the housing. The toes of the pasted and lasted slices are .inserted within the openings 6 and owing to the presence of the heat within the housing, the `box toes are rapidly and thoroughly dried. The housing is comparatively small and the openings 6 in the front thereof are of such size as to receive only the toe portions of the lasted shoes, and thus it is not necessary to generate a large quantity of heat asis the case where a large number of lasted shoes are placed in a drying room or the like. I have found that the toes of 'pasted boXtoes can be. thoroughly dried in Where shoes are Y about thirty minutes and that in drying the toes of the shoes are drawn tightly over the last and are much smoother and moreirmly set than are the toes of shoes dried in thc ordinary manner. I have found that thc boX toe adhesive material is drawn outwardly into and through the felt used between the lining and the leather of the toe, and that this gum, when thoroughly dried by the application of heat, forms aA very stilll and rigid box. I have found that the moisture in the adhesive material is drawn outwardly through the leather and appears as small globules on the surface of the toe of the shoe. T his action, which may be termed sweating begins shortly after the toe of the shoe has been introduced into the heat/er. and continues throughout the process of drying. As the globules of moisture appear on the surface of the toes they tend by capillary action to draw off more moisture from the paste, as they evaporate. The film of globules of moisture resulting from the sweating process protects the surface of the leather, and while the upper portion of the toe is in contact with air of a high temperature, the leather is not injured, nor are the natural fats cooked out.

Ihave found in actual practice, by slicing a shoe dried out by my novel process that the adhesive and its moisture do not penetrate inwardly, but are drawn outwardly. If they were forced. inwardly, the lining would be stuck to the last, which would bc objectionable. The stretching of the leather in forming the box toes of the shoes tends to open up the pores thereof and this con` dition contributes materially to the drawing outward of the moisture. It is of course well known that in forming the box toes of the shoes the leather of the toe is wet or softened by a softening composition and stretched tightly over the last, the object being to get the form or shape of the toe from the stretching of the leather and to avoid crimping or folding the leather under the toes. Being wet, the leather will stretch more readily and its pores will consequently be opened and initially filled with water or softening composition when introduced into the drying apparatus. The saturated leather will be dried out and in drying out will draw the moisture from the adhesive through the open pores. It is not desired to dry the leather in the shoe so thoroughly as to bake it to the point where it is hard and brittle.

By the use of my improved process.I all box toe shoes turned out by a factory may be uniformly dried in a comparatively short space of time, thus permitting the rapid reuse of the last and consequently increasing the output lper last.

My invention also includes a novel process comprising baking or vulcanizing the coat- A open air, the evaporation of the moisture in the box toe is slow and uncertain especially under varying weather conditions, requiring four or five days in dampweather. The alternation of damp and dry, or warm and cold weather, causes non-uniform eX-y pansion in the material, and thus causes" the enameled surface of the toe to check and crack. The toes of patent leathershoes are' also often cracked during the lasting operation, where the leather is sharply bent and pulled by the jaws of the machine. The toes of shoes which have been thus damaged can be sandpapered in order to form a proper surface for renameling, then coated with enamel and then baked in my novelv apparatus. In this operation a lower temperature is used for ashorter time than is the practice where the toes are merely dried to set the box.

I do not herein claim this method of treating patent leather shoes as the same forms the subject of a divisional application, iiled March 15, 1915, Serial No. 14,415.

It is desirable to protect the shoes from the direct application of heat to avoid burning or scorching the leather in carrying out my improved process, and I have found it advantageous to convey the heat to the shoes by means of a circulating current of heated air. In the apparatus shown herein these objects are accomplished by locating the heating medium in front of the toes of the slices, and by curving the back wall of the chamber to deflect the ascending heat forwardly over the toe of the shoe While the front wall defiects it downwardly, so that the shoe is surrounded by circulating heated air, the highest temperature being above the shoe. rlhe adhesive which is used in the toe of the shoe is located at the top and sides of the toe and the heated air thus applied, the temperature of which is highest at the top of the toe, acts quickly there, and the bottom of the shoe is, in a sense, protected by being out of the way of the circulating air. The fiat bottom of the apparatus serves to protect the bottom of the shoe, the asbestos covering thereof being a non-conductor of heat. I desire also to avoid sharp variations in the temperature of the leather near those parts that are being treated by my process, and this is accomplished in the apparatus shown herein by making a loose fit between the opening 6 and the shoe, it being practically impossible to make a close iit at this opening. It has been found in practice that more or less of the outside relatively cooler air, enters at the bottom of the opening, is heated and circulates about the shoe with the air which enters by way of the openings 11, the heated air iinally escaping between the upper part of the opening 6 and the shoe. The cooler air entering at the bottom of the opening forms an air cushion which aids in protecting the shoe solefrom damage by the heat in the heating chamber.

out the wrinkles which usually appear in the vamp. To further this circulation openings throughout the length of the casing, under the heating medium, may be provided, if desired, instead of having the ventilation openings at the ends of the casing. It will be seen that the toe portion, only, of the shoe is within thelheating chamber and subjected to the action of heat, while the shoe upper is outside the chamber and hence is protectedfrom damage by the heated air used in drying out or otherwise treating the shoe toe. A. further advantage of the loose fitting of the openings 6 is that when a part only of the patent leather portion of a shoe 1 inserted in the apparatus, the escaping hot The hot air escaping at the edOesof the o aenino' will tend to shrink air causes the Vtemperature of the patent.

leather to vary slowly from the inside to the outside of the apparatus, thus avoiding damage to the leather from too rapid variation in temperature. This is due to the fact that the temperature of the air falls gradually as it emerges through the openings and mingles with the air outside.

l/Vhile I have shown a simple form of apparatus for practising my improved process, it will be understood that other apparatus may be employed, it being essential only that a proper temperature be applied directly to the leather.

I do not claim herein the novel apparatus disclosed since I have claimed it in my application, Ser. No. 578,930, liled August 25, 1910, entitled, Apparatus for drying shoes.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The herein described step in the method of manufacturing boX toes of slices which consists in subjecting the toe only of the shoe, while it is stretched over the last and the pores thereof open, to circulating heated air, the upper of said lasted shoe being protected from damage by the heated air.

2. vThe herein described step in the method of manufacturing box toes of shoes which consists in subjecting the toe portion only of the shoe, while it is stretched over the last and the pores thereof open, to circulating heated air, said air being directed upon the top of the toe of the shoe so as to draw the moisture from the paste through the stretched leather, the upper of the shoe being protected from damage by the circulating heated air during this drying operation.

The method of drying shoes comprising confining the toes only of the shoes in a chamber while the remaining portions ofV chamber while the remaining portionsV of the shoes project therefrom and creating a heated current of air in said chamber which sweepsover and downwardlyupon said toes before passing out of said chamber.

4L. A method of drying shoes comprising confining the toes only of the'shoes in a the shoes project therefrom and creating a heated current of air in said chamber which sweeps over and downwardly upon said toes and then passes out of said chamber through the openings through which the toes extend.v

5. The method of drying shoes, which Ycomprises applying to the toe portion only of a shoe heated air of a temperature suiicient to remove the moisture from the box,

and protecting the upper of the shoe from damage by'said heated air.

6. The method of drying shoes, which comprises confining the toe only of a shoe in a chamber while the remaining portion of the shoe is outside the chamber, and applying a current of heated air to the shoe toe while in said chamber which air is directed downwardly upon said toe before .passing out of the chamber.

M. P. SMITH, L. A. CoRRAs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

